Early Dylan ('61-'63): The Beginnings of a Unique Style

This week, Laura and Robert are going back to the beginning to examine what we can learn about Bob Dylan’s unique style from listening to some early recordings. In the early 1960s, Dylan developed at such rapid speed, these recordings are precious documents of an artist finding his style and finding an audience along with it. We discuss which skills he honed until they were just right, the things he tried that were ultimately discarded, and we answer the question of who is playing the guitar on “Don’t Think Twice (It’s All Right)” (spoiler: we think a certain Dylan biographer is wrong).

Playlist:

1. House Of The Rising Sun [Mackenzie Home Tapes]

2. All Over You (Gerde's Folk City, "The Banjo Tape", 8 February, 1963)

3. Don't Think Twice (It's All Right) (Witmark Demo)

4. Hero Blues [Take 1]

5. That's All Right, Mama [Take 1]

6. He Was A Friend Of Mine

Talkin' Dylan's Process - Outtakes, Early Versions, Alternate Takes

In this hour, Laura and Robert return once again to talk about some of Dylan’s outtakes and alternate takes by taking a look at four recordings from four different decades. Part of Bob Dylan’s enduring appeal is that he, perhaps more than any other popular artist, has let the audience in on his creative process: box sets like the Bootleg Series have given us access to not only outtakes, but also sketches, rough early attempts, and alternate versions. This peek behind the curtain is never demystifying, but instead gives us an insight into the non-linear, often alchemical creative process, which is full of difficult decisions.

If you want to support the show, Definitely Dylan is now on Patreon!

Here’s the very early Definitely Dylan episode where a very nervous Laura tells you all about some of Dylan’s greatest outtakes.

If you’d like to listen to the “April is the cruelest month” episode, you can find it here.

And here’s the episode all about “Caribbean Wind” that I mentioned.

Playlist:

1. Mississippi (Alternate Version #3)

2. Desolation Row (Take 5 Remake, Complete)

3. Don't Ever Take Yourself Away

4. Someday Baby (Alternate Version)

Bob Dylan's Backing Vocals - From Bluegrass To Gospel & Beyond

Often, when people think of Bob Dylan, what comes to mind is the image of the lone troubadour playing his guitar in the spotlight - but in reality, an integral part of Bob Dylan’s art is his shifting sound, which he in no small part owes to the many excellent bands that have accompanied him through the decades. Each of them would be worth their own episode, but this week Laura and Robert are zeroing in on the singers whose harmonies have allowed Dylan to explore and expand his own vocal abilities. From The Band to the Rolling Thunder Revue, to Dylan’s gospel backing choir, to the Never Ending Tour: we’re talking Dylan’s Background Vocals!

Here’s a link to Ray Padgett’s excellent Substack, “Flagging Down The Double E” where you can find his interviews with Alan Pasqua and Larry Campbell which I mention in the episode.

You can now support Definitely Dylan on Patreon.

Playlist:

1. Somebody Touched Me (Live in Portsmouth, UK, 25 September, 2000)

2. Dear Mrs. Roosevelt - Bob Dylan and the Band (Woody Guthrie Tribute Concert, 20 January, 1968)

3. Just Like a Woman (Live at Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA, 21 November, 1975 - Evening)

4. Going, Going, Gone (Live at Budokan)

5. Ninety Miles An Hour (Down A Dead End Street)

6. Key West (Philosopher Pirate)

An Upcoming Infidels Bootleg Series? We Discuss the Rumour!

Last week, an intriguing rumour was published in the Isis fan magazine: there’s a new Bootleg Series coming, and Vol. 16 will likely be dedicated to Dylan’s 1983 album Infidels! What a GREAT opportunity to put the spotlight on this intriguing album. Laura and Robert talk about the album’s sound, lyrical themes, and the mystery surrounding Dylan’s decision to leave some of the session’s best songs off the released record.

What are your thoughts on a possible Infidels release? What are you hoping to see, and what other Dylan era deserves the Bootleg Series treatment?

Terry Gans’ new book Surviving In A Ruthless World: Bob Dylan’s Voyage to Infidels is available here.

For more on amazing Bob Dylan songs that didn’t make it onto the record, listen to Episode 3: Outtakes. A while back I also dedicated an episode to my Bootleg Series Wishlist, and at least one item has already been crossed off!

Playlist:

1. Jokerman

2. Lord Protect My Child

3. License To Kill

4. Tell Me

Edit: It bugged me that I felt like I didn’t articulate my thoughts on the “conversations with women” issue properly here. What I meant to say was that songs like “Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight” and “Sweetheart Like You” and “Tell Me” all take the form of a conversation, and especially the latter two feature the singer engaging the woman by asking her questions, but ultimately, since we never get to hear the woman’s side, the singer’s questions function as projections of his own thoughts and anxieties onto the woman. I agree with Terry Gans that Dylan seems more ready to actually hear the woman’s answers in “Tell Me” though.

A Very Special Episode in Honour of All Women Who Love Bob Dylan

This week we’re continuing the Definitely Dylan tradition of doing a special episode dedicated to International Women’s Day. These are episodes that are very important to me because, even though the fight for women’s equality is a struggle that continues throughout the year, I like taking this opportunity to highlight the role of women in the world of Bob Dylan. This is a space that is still male-dominated, but women have played decisive roles as collaborators, scholars, fans, and interpreters of Bob Dylan’s work.

This year, I’m very proud to bring you an episode with some Bob Dylan covers that were almost all exclusively recorded for Definitely Dylan by wonderfully talented female artists. I love their interpretations so much, and I know you will too!

Playlist:

1. Don’t Think Twice (It’s All Right) - Michele Stodart

2. If You Gotta Go, Go Now* - Annie Needham (Definitely Dylan Basement Tapes)

3. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll - Angela Gannon (Definitely Dylan Basement Tapes)

4. One More Cup Of Coffee (The Valley Below) - Ren Harvieu

5. Mama You Been On My Mind - Naomi In Blue

6. I Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You - Emma Swift (Live at Grimey’s in Nashville, September 2020)

Please check out these artists’ work and support them:

You can stay up to date and support Michele Stodart’s work on her Patreon page, and you can listen to her first two solo records on Spotify.

Find Annie Needham’s band Big Peyote on Spotify and instagram.

Catch Angela Gannon on tour with The Magic Numbers in the UK this autumn.

Ren Harvieu is on Instagram and you can ilsten to her brilliant album Revel In The Drama on Spotify.

Listen to (and buy) Naomi in Blue’s excellent EP An Experiment on Bandcamp

Should you not yet own Emma Swift’s beautiful album of Bob Dylan albums, Blonde On The Tracks, you can rectify this on her bandcamp, and you can also stay up to date with her upcoming projects on her Patreon page.

Here’s the Spotify Playlist of Bob Dylan covers by female artists that I made last year:

* Since we recorded this, I’ve thought quite a bit about the song “If You Gotta Go, Go Now”, which Annie Needham is singing so brilliantly here. I love her version because it’s deadpan, yet funny and lighthearted. When she sings it it’s flirty and, as I called it in the episode, cheeky. But I also think this song is very much of its time, and the lyrics, especially when sung by a man, can at times be perceived as pushy or even coercive, which is played for laughs in Dylan’s version, but consent is actually serious and crucial. There’s a lot more to this conversation, but it was just important to me, especially in the context of an episode for IWD, to clarify that this is not a topic that should be taken lightly.